At the height of the swinging '60s, Lynn Castle was a barber to the stars. Del Shannon, members of the The Monkees and the Byrds, Sonny and Cher, Neil Young, and more, Castle groomed them all, indulging in the cultural moment when the country embraced long locks on men and women alike. Nicknamed "The Lady Barber," she became a West Coast phenomenon from her station at Rogue Barber Shop in Los Angeles. The Washington Post wrote about her in 1967, calling her a "shapely blonde in blue jeans." Long hair was, "Not just for actors," Castle is quoted. "Even conservative doctors and lawyers look good with long hair."
But even as buzz crescendoed around her work as a stylist, Castle was living something of a double life. When she wasn't working at the salon or taking care of her two children, she was writing poignant, sepia-toned ballads. Though her songs were recorded by the Spinners ("Love's Prayer," which she wrote as a teenager) and the Monkees ("Teeny Tiny Gnome (Kicking Stones)," recorded during the More of the Monkees sessions), most never saw the light of day. Until now. The recordings she made with producers Jack Nitzsche and Lee Hazlewood are featured on a new collection from Light in the Attic, Rose Colored Corner, named for the song included here twice, as both a stark demo recording and an arranged, psychedelic version with Phoenix psych-band Last Friday's Fire.
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